Vivien Schmidt testimony before the European Parliament
On October 4, 2012, I gave testimony to the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee, which held an all-day inquiry into European Governance and the Future of Europe.
EU Austerity Measures: Why The Nobel Peace Prize Matters
In receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the leaders of the European Union should not only take a moment to feel justifiable pride in the recognition of the EU’s past accomplishments, but they should also take a moment to reflect on what they’re doing today in the midst of the Eurozone crisis that may undermine that very achievement.
Can the EU Bicycle Turn into a Jet Plane by 2020?
As part of its EuroFuture paper series, the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is releasing a paper I wrote entitled, “Can the EU Bicycle Turn into a Jet Plane by 2020?”
Vivien Schmidt Interviewed on Euractiv
Considered the most legitimate by EU leaders, the European Council is institution that makes all the decisions. But to the American researcher, it is also the least democratic, promoting the ordo-liberalism advocated by Merkel.
Conversation: The Failure of the Euro?
Mark Blyth and I discuss whether or not Europe's political union can survive the stresses and demands of the Euro, the place of democracy in the Eurocrisis, and whether the ends of saving the Euro justify the means being used to save it.
Eurozone Crisis Reveals Lack of Clear Leadership
Most of the attention to the eurozone crisis in the business pages of US newspapers is on economics. Will eurozone countries default on their debt? Are the spreads on debt too high to be sustainable? Are the banks the real risk? Will the euro break up with a Greek exit? Or will it be Germany?
Comment on the Greek crisis and EU leaders meeting
It is amazing how blind the EU leaders (German Chancellor, ECB, and some in the EU Commission) are to the political dangers involved in trying to force Greece to implement economic cuts that are bound to fail, that have already failed, and that will plunge the country deeper into misery….and anarchy!
Democratizing the Eurozone
In recent months, more and more attention has been focused on the failure of the Eurozone leaders’ policies of fiscal consolidation, with growth presented as the alternative. The problems for the Eurozone stem not just from the policies, however. They also come from the governance processes and the politics—or lack thereof.
Comment on French elections
The presidential elections in France, the legislative elections in Greece, and the regional elections in Germany together mark a turning point for the EU. The results make clear that, despite their differences, European voters all share a common view that current leaders are not delivering. In France and Greece, voters want an end to unending austerity that doesn't work.
French Presidential Election 2012 in a Divided Europe
Jolyon Howorth and I were on "Sounds of Dissent" on WZBC 90.3 FM Boston on Saturday, May 5, 2012 discussing the run-off elections in France.
L'élection présidentielle française: une élection cruciale pour l'Europe
Here's a comment I co-authored with Maxime Lefebvre for Le Monde online (in French).
Thinking about the Eurozone as a Bar ...
David Brancaccio of American Public Media’s Marketplace Morning Report picks up on my remarks at Brown University’s Watson Institute conference on “The Failure of the Euro.”
The French Presidential Elections on China Radio International
On Thursday, April 19, 2012, I took part in an an hour-long discussion of the French presidential elections on China Radio International. Joining me were Jolyon Howorth, Professor of Political Science at Yale University, and Sebastien Ricci, a French journalist based in Beijing.
The European Project: Can Europe Survive the Euro?
On Tuesday, April 17, 2012, I participated in a roundtable discussion at the Watson Institute on The European Project: Can Europe Survive the Euro?
What Europe needs most is better leadership: Remarks at “Renaissance for Europe” event
On March 16-17, I participated in a series of discussions on the theme “Democratic Europe” at the Cirque d'Hiver where high-level European political leaders were united around François Hollande, candidate of the Parti Socialiste for the French presidential elections.
Europe 2012: The Devil Is in the Details
The big question for the EU in 2012 is not only: “will it solve the debt crisis?” It is also: “will it survive the solution?”
Partial EU Pact Reached
There's a joke told about Gorbachev who, when asked to say one word about the state of the Soviet economy responded: GOOD. When asked for two words: NOT GOOD. The same could be said about the agreement reached Friday.
France and Germany Push Deal
The fiscal union that German Chancellor Merkel has been pushing is a side show to the real game, but a necessary one.
Merkel Warns Crisis Will Last
Merkel’s modus vivendi has always been to go slowly, to wear her opposition out, and to wait. This strategy, which enabled her to become Chancellor, will be her undoing.
Saving the Euro Will Mean Worse Choices for Europe
Markets are reeling because Europe's leaders have only offered up half-measures to resolve the crisis. Not until Brussels, Paris, and Berlin realize the fundamental flaw in their current approach—a lack of real political and economic integration across the eurozone—will there be an end in sight.